I agree with this, esp. the parts I bolded. I absolutely think it is wonderful for a child to be confident and secure enough to find her own style. That is my concern. I think parents of girls particularly must be aware of the massive amount of marketing what is "cool" to "tween" girls. I think it is probably difficult for a girl trying to find her identity when surrounded by the consumerist culture and all of the images aimed at making her think that appearance/brands/etc. are the most important thing. I think it is important that we make our daughters aware of what marketing is and the messages being sent.
Books like So Sexy, So Soon, Packaging Girlhood, No Logo, this article titled
Stealing Childhood Stealing Childhood all address these issues.
From Media Awareness network
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/parents/marketing/issues_teens_marketing.cfm"Corporations capitalize on the age-old insecurities and self-doubts of teens by making them believe that to be truly cool, you need their product.
As they make the transition from childhood to the teenage years, tweens (ages 8-12) are continually bombarded with limiting media stereotypes on what it is to be a girl or a boy in today�s world. This �packaged childhood� is sold to them through ads and products; and across all media, from television, music, movies and magazines to video games and the Internet.
Young girls in particular are targeted by marketers, and the focus of these ads � beauty, sexuality, relationships, and consumerism � is worrisome for parents. According to Sharon Lamb and Lyn Mikel Brown, authors of Packaging Girlhood, images of girls as �sexy, diva, boy-crazy shoppers� can be quite harmful to their self development. At an age when girls �could be developing skills, talents, and interests that will serve them well their whole life, they are being enticed into a dream of specialness through pop stardom and sexual objectivity.�
